Jefferson Street will close on Monday, March 29, until Phase II is completed near the end of July, according to Jesse Blackburn, village administrator.

The March 22 council packet is attached at the bottom of this story.

He provided Bluffton council with an update on the project on Monday night. It includes road reconstruction, installation of a new sanitary and storm sewer along with curbs and sidewalks.

The village will apply for a $22,516 loan supplement from the Ohio Water Development Authority. It turns out that the re-bid from Underground Utilities, general contractor for the street work, had more costs associated with eligible items than its previous bid, which was used to calculate the loan.

Blackburn informed council members that the Allen County Tax Incentive Review Council met on March 17. It renewed two tax abatement agreements with Diamond Manufacturing. The agreements now expire in 2022 and 2026.

Three company vehicles from Advanced Utility Services (AUS) are making their presence known in town this week.

AUS staff are replacing equipment parts on 1,450 village water meters. Click here for more details. Work is underway Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the project should be completed by April 9. There is no interruption of service during this work.

While the federal government moved its filing deadline for 2020 individual taxes from April 15 to May 7, payments to Village of Bluffton income tax remains April 15.

Blackburn informed council members that the village will submit a grant application to assist with engineering costs along with acquisition costs of property for the State Route 103 pedestrian pathway. That project is scheduled for construction in 2023.

The following meetings were set to take place in the town hall, unless noted. Contact Jesse Blackburn at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

• Streets, Alleys, Lights & Sidewalk Committee – Wednesday, March 24, 5:30 p.m.
• Joint Streets, Alleys, Lights & Sidewalk Committee & Pathway Board – Monday, March 29, 5:30 p.m.
• Pathway Board – Thursday, April 1, noon, via Zoom. 
• Joint Streets, Alleys, Lights & Sidewalk & Utilities Committee – Wednesday, April 7, 5:30 p.m.
• Council meeting – Monday, April 12, 7 p.m. 
• Bluffton in Bloom Committee – Tuesday, April 13, 7 p.m.